In the alternate world of Runeterra, where any and all political conflict would be settled by arena battle. Summoners of a particular political allegiance would enter the Fields of Justice, your objective is to destroy the opposing faction nexus by summoning forth a champion in hopes of leading your followers to victory!

Flash forward to me, sitting at my computer desk staring longingly at the front page of twitch.tv to see "League of Legends" yet again being spotlighted.

"I just don't get it" I can remember thinking to myself, not out of distain but out of frustration. A few weeks ago I had tried to play League of Legends but it simply failed to click. Perhaps it was the lack of companionship, or possibly the over abundance of scare tactics surrounding the game. Whatever it was I just simply was not getting it, but I decided that this needed to change.

My experience with RTS games had been very limited, actually it was basically non existent. I was primarily aware of the stereotypes that surrounded the popular genre and even that information was skeptical at best. So I was curious, curious about what awaited me, curious about what I would experience, curious about how I would be at the game, curiouser and curiouser.

So much to choose from... it can make a newb dizzy.

With that I decided to jump in and what I found was terrifying. A vast swarm of information presented by hundreds of differing voices all interpreting in a unique and enigmatic fashion. I had no idea who to listen to or where to even start. I began to question what I had gotten myself into and ultimately I began to debate if going down this rabbit hole would even be worth it. I sat there, staring at a game with over 12 Million players feeling alone, confused, and intimidated. As fast as I can blink I tossed the keyboard aside, giving into my fear of the unknown. Practically cowering back into my version of familiarity and comport, but curiosity has a way of returning.

Deep into the darkness peering, there I stook there wondering, fearing...

How it came back I have no idea. But after weeks of inactivity I decided that I wanted to try again. This time feeling less afraid, I had already peered into the great mass of distorted, befuddling, madness known as LoL and this time I would not let it get the better of me.

We decided to have a League of Legends Holiday Parade, during this time we would have contests, activities, trivia, and giveaways. We would also have our "Scrub Sessions" featuring me learning to play alongside Jody Robinson. Jody had a bit of experience with the game though was by no means an expert, still extremely comporting to have none the less. The day we did our first Scrub Play I was horribly nervous "They're all gonna laugh at you!" I could hear ringing in my ears. I could practically see the barrage of chatroom trolls lining up to take a swing at my confidence as a new player. What actually happened however was quite surprising.

Was actually really shocked when this didn't happen.

"They like you!" I can remember Jody telling me, at first I thought she was just trying to make me feel better and that what was actually being said would cause me to pull the plug on the internet but she was telling the truth! I mean sure, there were a few trolls (which is to be expected) and there were a few users who were unaware that the stream was of me playing with and against bots and therefore got upset. However the majority of the people in the stream were incredibly helpful and encouraging.

When the stream was over and I went to my LoL profile I had dozens of friend invites followed by messages telling me things like "Not bad for a newb" and "If you're looking for help, I'm always glad to help a new player". I was surprised by this community's willingness to be helpful, their acceptance of my "noobish nature", and resourcefulness when it came to any question I had. I still haven't gotten a "Google it" response from a single player.

So here I am, about to do my second Scrub Play with Jody as my co-host. I've had a lot of really awesome people help me so far with learning to play this game. So here are some of my Summoner shout outs:
@BenderUnit22
@Headless Nun
@Serevino
@Bozanimal
@Calithrae
@CutieMae
@DeathPlushie
@GarKitty
@Grona
@Judisius
@LightEffect
@MannerRev
@Masked
@Neromos
@SirSpudly
@Sivian
@TheRaven
@TheRoadstar
@TheRogue
@Toysoldier
@washumego
and @xXGreen0120Xx

I'll be doing two more Scrub Streams during December, along with at least one more Play Date and a possible LoL Marathon. Feel free to add my Summonor "Lady Varaska" if you want to share some advice, play with someone around your skill level, or just hang out with your friendly neighborhood Community Manager.
My next blog will be a bit about stats, character builds, and my rankings so far as a LoL player. That and more pictures. YAY PICTURES!